The invention relates to a container or enclosure for magnets, generally of the type used to retain papers on a metal surface or for children's play, and to a magnet as enclosed in such a container.
Strong magnets have a number of uses, particularly around a household. In addition to popular usage on refrigerators for retaining notes, calendars and other papers, they can be used for erasing the content of magnetic recording tapes or discs and for children's games and entertainment.
It is generally desirable for the magnets to be coated or covered with some suitable plastic material, both for appearance and to soften the feel of the magnet in the hand. Such coating also prevents scratching of finished surfaces.
Magnets have been coated or enveloped or covered in a number of different ways. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,303,062, 4,647,891 and 4,172,597. The first-listed patent describes a method for enveloping a magnet in a plastic coating, applied in a molten state. Such magnets are for use in the stomachs of cattle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,891 discloses a cylindrical holder or jacket for a rod shaped magnet, wherein the magnet is inserted into the a central bore of the jacket, leaving one cylindrical end of the jacket open. A plug is then pushed into the opening and fused to the surrounding body of material to close the magnet container.
A bingo chip gathering magnetic device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,597. In that device, in the form of a "wand" having a handle, a magnet is inserted into a five-sided box at the end of the wand. The open side of the box exposes the edge of the magnet, and bingo chips with magnetic metal are picked up using the exposed end of the magnet as well as the sides of the magnet box.
In addition, small, strong magnets of the type with which this invention is concerned have been jacketed by gluing them in five-sided closely fitting containers having one large side of the rectangular container open. A thin plastic or paper sticker was then applied to cover the magnet at the open side, also engaging the edges of the container, to complete the covering of the magnet.
Prior to the present invention, there existed no simple one-piece construction of a magnet jacket or enclosure into which a magnet could be assembled and contained more or less permanently, with all surfaces of the magnet covered and protected.